Libya and the United States, Two Centuries of Strife [Hardcover]

Ronald Bruce St John (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2002

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Libya have rarely followed a smooth path. Washington has repeatedly tried and failed to mediate lasting solutions, to prevent recurrent crises, and to secure its own national interests in a region of increasing importance to the United States. Libya and the United States, Two Centuries of Strife provides a unique and up-to-date analysis of U.S.-Libyan relations, assessing within the framework of conventional historical narrative the interaction of the governments and peoples of Libya and the United States over the past two centuries.

Drawing on a wide range of new and unfamiliar material, Ronald Bruce St John, an expert with over thirty years of experience in international relations, charts the instances of ignorance, misunderstanding, treachery, and suffering on both sides that have shaped and limited commercial and diplomatic intercourse.

St John argues that Cold War strategies resulted in a paradoxical and ambiguous U.S. policy toward Libya during the Idris regime of the 1960s, strategies that contributed to the bankruptcy of that monarchy. Following the Libyan revolution, the U.S. wrongly believed Qaddafi would become an ally in support of U.S. policy to keep Soviet influence and communism out of the region; his failure to do so marked the beginning of an era of political tension and mutual distrust.

Libya and the United States, Two Centuries of Strife documents how long-standing policy differences over the Palestinian issue and such terrorist acts as the destruction of the U.S. embassy in Tripoli and the Pan Am explosion over Lockerbie in 1988 resulted in a sharp deterioration of relations. St John contends that the ensuing demonization of Libya and the U.S. policy of confrontation, which has spanned successive administrations in Washington, have ironically often not served American interests in the region but, rather, have facilitated Qaddafi's survival.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Ronald Bruce St John provides a comprehensive, meticulously researched history of US-Libyan relations of the last 200 years. His book succeeds well in describing the sources of tension, conflicting interests, and misperceptions that have determined the course of interaction between the two countries."—Journal of North American Studies

"Balanced, very informational. . . . Highly recommended."—Choice

"This is a wonderfully measured, insightful, comprehensive treatment of the subject that will, in my estimation, become a standard not only for the academic community but also for the policy and intelligence community."—Dirk Vandewalle, Dartmouth College

About the Author

Ronald Bruce St John, the author of more than three dozen books and articles on Libya, including the Historical Dictionary of Libya and Qaddafi's World Design: Libyan Foreign Policy, 1969-1987, serves on the International Advisory Board of the Journal of Libyan Studies.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812236726
• ISBN-13: 978-0812236729
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,628,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > History > Africa > Libya

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not entirely balanced, obvious bias against Ronald Reagan's policies, September 21, 2011

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An W. (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Libya and the United States, Two Centuries of Strife (Hardcover)

As the title of my review states, this book contains a pretty negative critique of Ronald Reagan's policies and actions against Libya. It is not very balanced as the "Choice" review declares. Unless you are not familiar with many of the events mentioned in this book, you'll notice a significant amount of skewing, omission of important context, and bias in order to portray the actions by the United States (many of which I believe were completely justified) in a negative light.

I think recent events have proven what I think is the premise of this book as somewhat irrelevant.